Picnic Potato Salad With Eggs

Picnic Potato Salad With Eggs

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

This classic potato salad is made with eggs and a mustard and mayonnaise dressing. The potato salad is delicious with just about anything grilled, and always tastes best outdoors! Feel free to use chopped green onions or sweet onions instead of red onions in this flavorful salad, or leave them out.

This is a comforting potato salad made with eggs, mayonnaise, and mustard. It's very good with chopped red onions, but the onions may be omitted. Or leave the onions out of the salad and — for onion lovers —offer them on the side in a small bowl.

If you prefer a sweeter flavor, use Miracle Whip salad dressing instead of mayonnaise and add a tablespoon or two of sweet pickle relish. 

You don't need a cookout or picnic to enjoy potato salad—make it any time of the year to go with slow cooker pulled porkor shredded beef or serve it with baked beans, ham, or hot dogs.

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Ingredients

  • 3 pounds potatoes (cut into 1-inch cubes)
  • 5 or 6 hard-cooked eggs (cooled and coarsely chopped)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup red onion (chopped)
  • Optional: 1/4 to 1/2 cup celery (chopped)
  • Garnish: tomatoes and cucumber (thinly sliced)
  • Dressing
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise (a little more or less, as desired)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard (or to taste)
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Steps to Make It

Prepare the Eggs

  1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Cover the pan and place it over medium heat. Bring to a full boil.

    eggs in a pot of water

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Remove the pan from the heat and do not lift the lid. Let the eggs stand in the hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.

    eggs in a pot of water

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Drain and cool the eggs under cold running water, or in a bowl of cold water.

    eggs in a bowl of water

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Starting at the wide end, peel the eggs.

    peel the eggs

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Chop coarsely and set aside.

    chop the eggs coarsely

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Make the Potato Salad

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Picnic Potato Salad With Eggs ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Put the cubed potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Place the potatoes over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cover and boil gently until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

    Put cubed potatoes into a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Drain and let the potatoes cool completely.

    Drain potatoes in a colander

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Combine the cooled cubed potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, chopped red or sweet onion, and the chopped celery.

    Mix together the potato salad ingredients in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Stir in about 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise along with the mustard. Add more mayonnaise, as needed for moisture and flavor. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    add mayo and mustard to the potato salad ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Garnish the salad with thinly sliced small tomatoes and cucumber, if desired.

    Picnic Potato Salad With Eggs in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Enjoy!

Tips

  • Safety Note: Never leave food out of the refrigerator for over 2 hours. If the outside or room temperature is above 90 F (32.2 C), no more than 1 hour. If you are transporting the salad, make sure you can keep it at 40 F or below.
  • Choose potatoes that will keep their shape, such as new potatoes, round reds, round whites, long whites, or Yukon golds. Fingerlings and South American purple varieties can work as well.  Or use a combination of red, white, and blue (purple) potatoes for a Fourth of July event. Starchy russet potatoes are great for baking and mashing, but they tend to fall apart easily once they're cooked.
  • To Make in Advance: Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar; cover and refrigerate. Prepare the eggs and potatoes and refrigerate them in a large bowl with the chopped onion and celery. Combine the ingredients an hour or two before serving time. Keep the salad refrigerated or in a cooler until serving time.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
455 Calories
26g Fat
44g Carbs
11g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 455
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 34%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 198mg 66%
Sodium 299mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 44g 16%
Dietary Fiber 5g 17%
Protein 11g
Calcium 56mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)